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It’s all about craftsmanship and function for Birkenstock‘s latest collab. The German-based brand has teamed up with Filson — the American heritage brand known for outfitting explorers, adventurers, ranchers, hunters, anglers since 1897.
The collection introduces three new styles: the London Methow, Lahti and Skykomish.
“We did not want to just re-scan an existing model. We felt that the opportunity for innovation was really ripe, given the end use, given the product premise,” said Filson chief creative officer Alexander Carleton, who found inspiration in rustic, primitive American footwear for this line. “It was really bringing that analog sensibility of a closed shoe, of a lodge boot, of a camp shoe, bringing those into our assessment of the models’ profiles while utilizing the Birkenstock footbed and frame.”
Designed as a low-top shoe, the London Methow is constructed with an adjustable buckled strap and unlined, malleable leathers. The Lahti, meanwhile, is a soft hunting boot with a cozy, collapsible upper in Filson’s signature Mackinaw wool, complete with an anti-slip outsole. And the Skykomish is a rustic utilitarian-style boot with a Filson tin cloth upper and a textured, rubber mudguard.
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The line also includes Birkenstock’s signature Deep Blue footbed, which can be inserted and removed.
Filson and Birkenstock began working on the collab about a year and a half ago, according to Carleton, who discovered plenty of shared DNA between the two houses during the process.
“Birkenstock has leveraged its core proven shapes. Everyone around the world can recognize a Birkenstock. They have a specific design language,” he said. “Similarly, we have our Cruiser Jacket. It was patented in 1914. It still remains our number one selling jacket. It’s very different product categories, [but] both have legacy products. Both are innovating and modernizing in their own way.”
The collaboration will be available on Oct. 22 at Filson.com, 1774.com and select global retailers.
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